Amusement device



Bec. 4, 1951 R. l.. cARwlLE 2,577,309

AMUSEMENT DEVICE Filed Feb. 25, 1947 INVENTOR., Fe ROGER L. CARWILE'aL/W7 ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 4, 1951 UNITED 'STATES PATENT OFFICE2,577,309 l AMUSEMENT DEVICE Roger L. Carwile, Cambridge, Mass.Application February 25, 1947, Serial No. 730,715

Claims. l The present invention relates to a device which may serve as ameans for demonstrating the action of certain physical phenomena, or inother capacities, as a toy for instance, or as a means for producingcertain physical action Where desired. Essentially, the device producesa physic'al action or motion which, while simple, is diflic`ult for theeye to follow and causes an optical illusion which is mysterious andtherefore engages the interest of the observer, whether adult or child.

' The physical principle involved is akin to that demonstrated by twofree pendulums, suspended side by side, having highly elastic ballssuchV as ivory, of equal mass. If one pendulum is swung so that themoving ball strikes the stationary one at the bottom of its stroke, thefirst ball will stop and the second will move, assuming substantiallythe velocity of the rst ball. In the present invention, two or moreflat, perforated, thin plate or disc-like members are used. These`perforated thin plates or discs slide over a guide plate or disc at acertain place in its course of motion over the guide wire where `thestationary plate or disc is positioned. A series of pairs or groups maybe used in such a manner that a succession of operations of similar ordifferent motions and eiects may be obtained.

1 The present invention will be more fully described in thespecification below, in connection with the drawings illustrating thesame, inv which Fig. 1- shows a perspective drawing of the invention inone form. Fig. 2 shows a sectional elevation of theform of Fig. l, andFigs. 3 and 4 show modiiied forms of the invention of Figi.

"In the embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 1, I is a stiff guidewire supported in a substantiallyupright position by a base2. There aretwo or more thin, substantially equal vperfora-ted platesV or, discflikemembers, 3,14, `5,13, which may be of steel or /other highly elasticmaterial. These plates or Vdiscs will slide freely on the guide wirepassing through theperforations. The guide wire I has a steeply inclinedsection I2 with' a short smooth S curve consisting of a depression I3and a hump I4, followed by a downward sloping section 30. The steepportion I2 has suiiicient length so that the disc may gain the desiredvelocity in its descent.

The depression I3 will provide a resting station where a disc or platewill rest in stable equilibrium. There is also a section 8 near theupper end of the guide which will hold one or more 2 discs in stableequilibrium ready to be sent down the incline I2. The end of the guidemay be formed as a stop I9 to prevent the discs from sliding off theupper end.

After an element 3 is placed in the depression I3, another disc or plate4 may be released from the upper region 8 in the direction of theincline and will slide down the guide I and strike plate or disc 3,whichwill suddenly take up the motion and slide over the slight hump I4and on down the guide to the base 2, the disc 4 suddenly stopping in thedepression I3 and remainf ing there. This interchange of motion andposition occurs so suddenly that it is diiiicult for the human eye tosense it-disc or plate 4 apy pears to go right through disc 3 withoutsensibly disturbing it. Similarly, additional discs or plates 5, 6, whendropped suddenly, displace the previous ones resting in the depressionon the guide, although the appearance is as above injdicated. Thoseconversant with the science of dynamics will recognize that the actionsjust described clearly demonstrate the laws of conservation of linearmomentum and conservation of energy, as applied to the collision ofelastic bodies of equal mass. The action described here is uniquelydifferent from collisions between croquet balls, billiard balls,marbles, etc., in that the moving objects or projectiles used in mydevice are so thin that at the instant of collision the two bodies areso closely contiguous that it is diiiicult to distinguish theirindividual identities, Whereas croquet balls, marbles, etc., even whilecolliding, have their centers sufliciently far apart that their separateidentities are readily per'- ceived.

I consider it desirable to have the base detachable, for convenience inpacking and transporting the device. One way of making the basedetachable is to have one or more grooves I5 into which the guide iitssnugly. Fig. 2 shows a sectional view of the way the guide may nt intothe base 2. `,The base is grooved around its middle section and theguide bent into an open loop I5 which snugly ts into the groove. Theguide wire may have sumcient spring tension sorthat it may be slid intothe grooved base which will hold the guide wire in a rigid position,permite ting the action and operation described above.

Obviously, there are many variations of embodiment and operation of thisdevice, e. g.:

'Ihe guide may be supported at the eyelet I9 instead of a base as shownin Fig. 2.

The guide may have two or more depressions,

3 I1 and I8 as indicated in Fig. 3, so that successive collisions mayoccur at such depressions.

The number of discs or projectiles participating in collision isoptional-one moving projectile may strike one stationary one, two movingones may strike one stationary one, one moving one may strike twostationary ones, etc., with characteristic and interesting results.

The projectiles may be set in motion manually v'or in any suitablemanner, and instead of having the discs drop they may be impelled byspring laction or in any other way. If the projectiles are set in motionby means other than gravity, l

then section l2 does not necessarily have to be steeply inclined. Insuch case, the device may employ double action, if desired. Oneembodiment of such a variation isV shown in Fig. 4, in which the guide20 is substantially horizontal, but has one or more slight depressions2|. A thin disc 2'2 resting in equilibrium in a depression 2.1, when hitbyy anotherV thin 'disc 23 pro-v pelled against it by release of spring24, lby drawing down latch Z5, suddenly ltakes up the motion of disc 23which suddenly stops in the depression. Obviously such action may beproduced from left to right, or righ-t to left, or alternately. In theembodiment of Fig. 1, various `colors may be used to make the devicemore attractive, particularly on the `discs orv plates. The discs mayalso be Varied in size, mass, and shape to show corresponding collisioneffect, so long as they are thin. The device Works more satis-factorilyif the guide and discs -or projectiles ar smooth so as to slide freely.v

Having now described my invention, I claim: l. An amusement device' ofthe character described comprising a smooth guide Wire having relativelylong portions and a short depressed region therein intermediate the longportions, a base supporting said guide in a substantially uprightposition with the depression forming a horizontal step, a vdat, thin,highly velastic member formed vas a disc with a hole therein throughwhich the guide loosely extends, supported freely by said guide inupright position in said depression, a second similar member positionedabout said guide at a point above said first member and adapted to bepropelled along said guide against said iirst member, whereby saidsecond member will abruptly stop on contact with the iirst member andimpart its momentum to said rst element.

2. An amusement device of the character described comprising a smoothguide Wire having a plurality of steeply inclined portions connected byshort depressed regions forming substantially horizontal steps, aplurality of flat, thin, highly elastic plate members havingperforations through which the guide loosely extends and supportedfreely in the depressionsadapted to f be propelled out of saiddepression when another similar member is permitted to descend freelythe steep incline to a depression and impact against said plate member,in said depression and cause it to descend the next incline and strikethe member in the next depression for successive and similar reaction.

3. An amusement device of the character describedv comprising a smoothguide wire having 4, a plurality of steeply inclined portions connectedby short depressed regions forming substantially horizontal steps, abase member having a groove therein for supporting the guide wire in asubstantially upright position, a plurality of flat, thin, highlyelastic plate members having perforations through which the guideloosely extends and supported freely in the depressions adapted to bepropelled out of said depression when another similar member ispermitted to descend freely the steep incline to a depression Y andimpact against said plate member, in said Vdepression and cause it todescend the next in- @elineY and strike the member in the nextdepression for successive and similar reaction.

4. An amusement device of the character described comprising a smoothguide wire having a plurality of steeply inclined portions connected byshort depressed regions forming substantially horizontal steps, aremovable base member having a groovetherein for supporting the guideWire in a substantiallyupright position, a plurality of at, thin,.highly elastic plate members having perforations through which theguide loosely extends and supported freely in the depressions adapted tobe propelled out yof sa'd depression when one of said members ispermitted to descend freely the steep incline toa depression and impactagainst said plate mem ber, in said depressions and cause it to descendthe next incline and strike the member in the next depression forYsuccessive and'similarv reaction. f

5. An amusement device of the character described comprising a smoothguide wire hav-ing a plurality of steeply inclined portions connected byshort depressed regions'forming substantially horizontal steps, a basemember having a. groove therein for supporting the guide wire in asubstantially upright position, the upper end of said guide wirehaving aloop, a plurality of hat, thin, highly elastic plate members havingperforations through which the guide loosely extends and supportedfreely in the depressions adapted to be propelled out of said depressionwhen another REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record inthe iile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,424,659 Linder Aug. 1, 1922`1,627,970 Held May 10, 1927 1,890,950 Sharp Dec, 13, 1932 2,224,405McIntyre Dec. 10, 1940 OTHER REFERENCES Page 406` of book Magic byHopkins, published 1906 by Munn & Co., New York.

